The Silmarillion

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In the beginning was the creator named Iluvatar and he created a group of spirits called the Ainur. The Ainur referred to him as Eru and he bid them to create beautiful music for him, which they did, to perfection. The most powerful of them all, Melkor, decided to break the harmony of their music and composed his own, openly defying his creator. After their disagreement, Iluvatar offered them a vision of Arda, a new world that they could all descend upon to govern. There they became the Valar, basically gods, while their subordinates became demigods called the Maiar. Thus begins the battle between Melkor and his siblings for dominion over the new world they have been entrusted to oversee. As the first children of Iluvatar, the Elves, come into being, a tug-o-war of influence between Melkor and the other Valar ensues, causing confusion and sowing division that will persist until the coming of Iluvatar’s second children: Mankind.

I first read The Silmarillion in 2003, the only JRR Tolkien book I have read to date, obviously influenced by the popularity of the Lord of the Rings franchise. It is quite difficult to read because it serves as a compendium of mythology and folklore that serves as the backbone of Tolkien’s entire literary universe. As such, it comes across with some weird liturgical narrative vibes, somehow encyclopedic and shedding light on the origins of many different species inhabiting the author’s world. Sauron, for one, is a Maiar, as opposed to the simplified giant glowing eye drop advertisement I’ve always believed him to be. And then Elves. Dwarves. Daddy Elrond.

Since I have yet to read the Lord of the Rings saga, I am very appreciative of the origin stories detailed in this book. We find out that the Elves are the first creation of Iluvatar to awaken in Arda. The Dwarves are made by a Valar as his own creation and are hesitantly approved by Eru to exist. And then Men are the last to the party, late as always but predictably destructive AF. It takes a great amount of dedication to world building to come up with a complete mythology as well as your very own creation story that can rival those established by existing traditional religions. In this regard Tolkien’s literary gift is, without a doubt, extraordinary.

But then again, the book is difficult to read, perhaps because it only appears to be a novel but not quite so. It serves more like a reference material, although the short stories included within it that focus on the history of entire races and specific biographies of celebrated figures are legit literary works in their own right. It’s a good thing that the structure is all linear, beginning with the creation story elaborated upon in the first chapter Ainulindalë, and ending with a chapter on The Rings of Power which serves as a prelude to the Lord of the Rings trilogy. You don’t even have to read the entire book. Just select the chapters you are curious about.

Another thing that might affect your reading experience is the plethora of specific terms unique to this universe, usually verbalized in one of several Elvish tongues that Tolkien had created from scratch. This leads me to believe that perhaps the readers who will enjoy this book the most are those Tolkien nerds who have not just taken interest in his characters and stories but also in the Conlangs he had gifted to the world. Again, dedication! We can’t blame the fanboys, though, because this is quality work we have here.

And so, the verdict. Is The Silmarillion required reading to enjoy The Lord of the Rings? I don’t believe so. If anything, this book is a deep dive that offers more background knowledge for those who seek it. Think of it as an entire history made to fit under 400 pages, an encyclopedia of sorts. The Lord of the Rings trilogy, on the other hand, is said to be focused more on a particular event, which is the destruction of the One Ring. An epic, if you must, part of a whole that is The Silmarillion but trumps it in terms of popularity. If you want the complete experience, then just read them all.